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Two people have died in the wildfires ravaging Louisiana as residents and leaders are desperate for rain to help quell the blazes. An 84-year-old woman in St. Tammany Parish was found unconscious Sunday when an official noticed a brush fire on her property, the Louisiana Illuminator reported Monday. The victim was taken to a hospital in New Orleans, where she died. Hers was the second fatality in recent weeks attributed to the state’s wildfires. “Although temperatures are expected to back down slightly from record levels this week, the forecast still doesn’t call for substantial rain — which first responders have...

The State of California is depending on fossil fuels, especially natural gas, to provide electricity during the ongoing summer heat wave, as solar and wind energy are unable to meet demand during peak demand evening hours, especially as the sun begins to set. Fox News reports: The state of California continues to rely heavily upon fossil fuel-fired power plants to ensure its residents and businesses have access to reliable electricity amid the ongoing heat wave. According to data compiled by the California Independent System Operator, more than 40% of the state’s total power grid supply derived from natural gas on...

Locals bake cookies in CARS and complain of melting roads Searing heatwave is forecast to bring 110F temps to Phoenix for 30th day today Even Arizona's hardy Saguaro cactuses are dying in the blistering heat Temps are hot enough to melt dog toys, bake cookies in cars, and soften roads A searing heat wave that continues to blister much of the US is so hot that even Arizona's iconic cactuses are dying off. In Phoenix, Saturday is forecast to be the 30th consecutive day with high temperatures above 110F, a streak that has shattered all records for the city, with...

“Even those places that are used to extreme heat have never seen it as hot as it is now for as long as it's been,'' Biden said. “Even those who deny that we’re in the midst of a climate crisis can’t deny the impact of extreme heat is having on Americans.'' Biden's bid to address the immediate effects of climate change come as he faces pressure from fellow Democrats and environmental groups to declare a climate "emergency,'' a step he has so far resisted. The steps announced Thursday supplement his long-term agenda for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and deploying clean...

The hysteria was started when climate sensationalist media outlets in Germany and elsewhere, like the Relotius Spiegel, uncritically cited a sloppily and manipulatively formulated July 13 report from the European Space Agency (ESA), that first referred to “air” temperature: "Temperatures are sizzling across Europe this week amid an intense and prolonged period of heat. And it’s only just begun. Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heatwave with air temperatures expected to climb to 48°C on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe.” The original ESA report continued,...

New York (CNN) — Consumers are snapping up air conditioners, ice makers, pool floats and other goods to help them cool down in response to a brutal heat wave in the United States. On Amazon, sales of air conditioners increased 248% during the 30 days ending July 14, according to data from Jungle Scout, a data and analytics platform for Amazon sellers. Sales for fans grew 60%. Searches on Amazon for “single room AC units” and “portable misting fans” also spiked triple digits during the period, according to Jungle Scout. On Wednesday morning, a sun shade for car windshields was...

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Tourists in central Athens huddled under mist machines and zoo animals in Madrid were fed fruit popsicles Thursday as southern Europeans suffered through a heat wave that was projected to get much worse heading into the weekend. Temperatures in parts of Mediterranean Europe were forecast to reach as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 F) starting Friday. The high-pressure system affecting the region, which crossed the Mediterranean from north Africa, has been named Cerberus after the three-headed dog in ancient Greek mythology who guarded the gates to the underworld. Cerberus is being tracked by the European...

As the southwestern United States endures an oppressive heat wave that has produced triple-digit temperatures in many areas this week, experts say records could soon fall. Among them: the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature of 130 to 132 degrees in California’s Death Valley on Sunday. If that occurs, it would “either tie or break [the] record for the hottest temperature reliably measured on Earth,” says Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

It’s apparently hotter than hell in the Texas prison where Josh Duggar is serving his 151-month sentence. FCI Seagoville in Texas, where the 35-year-old convicted sex offender and former “19 Kids and Counting” star is doing time, reportedly has “no air conditioning” and is resulting in inmates “passing out.” “Texas is having record-breaking heatwaves. Most of the buildings in Seagoville don’t have air conditioning for the inmates,” a Seagoville inmate’s loved one told the Sun on Wednesday about the all-male prison. Last week, temperatures in Seagoville were in the 90s and even topped 100 degrees. There is currently an excessive...

@JStein_WaPo Scoop: White House weighs declaring national climate emergency as soon as this week, per sources, as collapse of talks w/ Manchin leads admin to explore raft of unilateral options

(Look at that beautiful corn in the background)Texans need to be prepared for the grid to fail. Again. A new bombshell report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) shows that while Texas has made some progress in increasing surplus energy flow to the grid for times of heightened demand, power is going to be extremely tight this summer, and Texans should prepare to expect rolling blackouts during the hottest months of the year. The recently released 2022 Summer Reliability Assessment found that Texas, along with parts of California and the Southwest, are in an “elevated risk category of...

HOLLAND, Mich. — A first-time, popular Tulip Time Festival exhibit is closing Sunday due to unusually warm weather, which has been record-breaking in parts of West Michigan. Organizers said hundreds of tulips at the Immersion Garden in Holland are wilting sooner than they normally would. “The tulips really like it to be about 40 degrees at night, 60 degrees during the day," Gwen Auwerda, executive director for the Tulip Time Festival. "So when its 80 degrees during the day or 90 degrees at night, they just wilt really quickly." The tulips planted in downtown Holland are faring a lot better...

An early summer heatwave pattern continues to boil parts of the Central and Southern Plains. This means parts of Texas will continue to roast with temperatures forecasted to reach triple digits next week. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s power grid operator, is already warning of record energy demand next week as customers crank up the AC. Power consultant Doug Lewin, who actively monitors the Texas grid, told FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth that triple-digit temperatures are very concerning because it’s “still not even summer.” On Tuesday, ERCOT reported power grid demand jumped to 70,703 megawatts, smashing...

NEW DELHI (AP) — An unusually early, record-shattering heat wave in India has reduced wheat yields, raising questions about how the country will balance its domestic needs with ambitions to increase exports and make up for shortfalls due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Gigantic landfills in India’s capital New Delhi have caught fire in recent weeks. Schools in eastern Indian state Odisha have been shut for a week and in neighboring West Bengal, schools are stocking up on oral rehydration salts for kids. On Tuesday, Rajgarh, a city of over 1.5 million people in central India, was the country’s hottest,...

India is one of those G-20 members not bowing down to US pressure to halt purchases of Russian energy products. The South Asian country’s power grid is dominated by fossil fuels, particularly coal and crude, and has come under severe stress as one of the worst heatwaves in years causes widespread blackouts. Another devastating heatwave has parched large swathes of India this week (after record heat in March), resulting in power blackouts. In the capital New Delhi, high temperatures hit 104 Fahrenheit and could increase even more through the weekend.Fossil fuels power about 75% of India’s power grid, and the...

The dog days of summer have arrived as much of the country faces above-average temperatures. “It’s going to be a real oppressive week with dangerous heat and hot conditions across much of the U.S. Excessive heat watches are up across much of the Pacific Northwest for mid to late week, including in the Portland and Seattle metro areas. Meanwhile, heat advisories are in effect for a good part of the south-central U.S. and parts of western New York state,” according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Great Plains and Upper Midwest states could see triple-digit temperatures and daily record high...

The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular destinations for hikers in the Lower 48. However, meteorologists are warning tourists to avoid the canyon Thursday and Friday. Temperatures near the base of the canyon could approach 115 degrees both days, spurring the issuance of a localized excessive heat warning for only the canyon itself. The National Weather Service in Flagstaff, Ariz., states that level of warning “is reserved for only the hottest days of the year and is issued when temperatures are expected to rise to dangerous levels.” Officials are discouraging any physical activity within the canyon between 10...

We outlined Tuesday that multiple heat waves would plague the Western half of the US. The first round struck early in the week and lasted through mid-week, and the second is just beginning. The worst of the second wave is expected to affect upwards of 28 million people from California to Washington State. Excessive heat warnings have already been posted for California, Nevada, western Arizona, and western Utah. Watches have also been posted for interior portions of Oregon and southern Idaho. Large swaths of the West could experience temperatures 20 or more degrees above average. Below is a temperature anomalies...

Oregon is reported 107 deaths as a result of the extreme heat wave that recently the Northwest. Temperatures in the state on June 28 climbed to a record-breaking 116 degrees. In what Oregon officials are calling a "mass casualty event," 67 of the deaths were reported in Multnomah County, which includes Portland. Forty of the deaths have been ruled hyperthermia, which is when the body overheats. The extreme heat continued into the July Fourth weekend. The high in Portland on Thursday was about 79 degree. Some of the deaths were the result of people not having access to fans or...

The deadly heat wave that roasted the Pacific Northwest and western Canada was virtually impossible without human-caused climate change that added a few extra degrees to the record-smashing temperatures, a new quick scientific analysis found. An international team of 27 scientists calculated that climate change increased chances of the extreme heat occurring by at least 150 times, but likely much more. The study, not yet peer-reviewed, said that before the industrial era, the region’s late June triple-digit heat was the type that would not have happened in human civilization. And even in today’s warming world, it said, the heat was...